9756466

Providing Geographic Locations of a User's Wireless Device

PublishedSeptember 5, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Patent Claims
18 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. In a computer system, a method for providing geographic locations of a wireless device associated with a user, the method comprising: via a base station communicating a request for authorization to provide geographic locations of the wireless device in response to the occurrence of an event, wherein the request is an alert that includes a geographic boundary of the event and a time period for the requested geographic locations of the wireless device; from a wireless device, receiving a response to the request for authorization; when an affirmative response is received to the request for authorization, providing the geographic locations of the wireless device that provided the affirmative response to the request for authorization, wherein the geographic locations are provided as positions overlaid on a street map; and in the absence of an affirmative response, soliciting an authorization from the user of the wireless device to disclose the geographic locations of the wireless device.

Plain English Translation

A system determines a user's location via their wireless device. When an event occurs in a specific geographic area, a base station sends an alert to wireless devices within that area. This alert asks for permission to access location data for a specific time period. If a user responds affirmatively, the system provides the device's location as a position overlaid on a street map. If the user doesn't respond or denies permission, the system prompts the user again for authorization to disclose their location.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is communicated to one or more wireless devices and presented to a user associated with each of the one or more wireless devices.

Plain English Translation

The system from the previous location determination description sends the location authorization request to multiple wireless devices, presenting the request to each associated user. This allows multiple users in the affected area to respond and contribute location data.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the event is the commission of a crime.

Plain English Translation

In the location determination system from the first description, the event triggering the location request is the commission of a crime. This allows law enforcement or other authorized entities to gather location data from devices in the vicinity of the crime scene, potentially aiding in investigations or emergency response.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request for authorization is communicated at the request of one or more entities, and wherein information describing the event is included in the request for authorization.

Plain English Translation

In the location determination system from the first description, one or more entities (like law enforcement) request the location authorization communication. The authorization request includes information describing the event that triggered the request. This allows users to understand why their location data is being requested.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more entities are law enforcement organizations.

Plain English Translation

Within the location determination system where an entity requests location data (from the fourth description), these entities are law enforcement organizations. This allows law enforcement to request location data relevant to investigations.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the geographic locations are provided to the one or more entities that requested the communication of the request for authorization.

Plain English Translation

In the location determination system where an entity requests location data (from the fourth description), the geographic locations of responding wireless devices are provided to the entity that requested the authorization. This gives the requesting entity access to the location data they sought.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions for performing a method of providing locations of one or more users associated with wireless devices located within a predefined geographic boundary, the method comprising: via a base station, communicating a request for authorization to provide geographic locations of the wireless device in response to the occurrence of an event, wherein the request is an alert that includes a geographic boundary of the event and a time period for the requested geographic locations of the wireless device; from a wireless device, receiving a response to the request for authorization; and providing geographic locations when an affirmative response is received to the request for authorization, wherein when a user of the wireless device previously consented to disclosing the geographic locations to one or more entities in response to the occurrence of an event, the geographic locations are provided on a street map overlaid with positions for the wireless device that provided an affirmative response to the request for authorization, and wherein when the user of the wireless device has not previously consented to the providing of geographic locations in response to the occurrence of an event, soliciting an authorization from the user of the wireless device to disclose the geographic locations of the wireless device.

Plain English Translation

A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for a method to determine user locations via wireless devices. When an event occurs, a base station sends an alert to devices in a specific geographic area, requesting location access for a period. If a user has pre-approved location sharing for events, the device's location is shared as a position on a street map. If a user hasn't pre-approved, the system prompts the user for authorization to share their location.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The media of claim 7 , wherein the request is communicated to one or more wireless devices and presented to a user associated with each of the one or more wireless devices.

Plain English Translation

The computer readable medium from the previous location determination description includes instructions to send the location authorization request to multiple wireless devices, presenting it to each associated user.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. The media of claim 7 , wherein the event is the commission of a crime.

Plain English Translation

The computer readable medium from the location determination description describes the event triggering the location request as the commission of a crime.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The media of claim 7 , wherein the request for authorization is communicated at the request of one or more entities, and wherein information describing the event is included in the request for authorization.

Plain English Translation

The computer readable medium from the location determination description includes instructions where the location authorization request is communicated at the request of one or more entities, with information describing the event included in the request.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The media of claim 10 , wherein the one or more entities are law enforcement organizations.

Plain English Translation

The computer readable medium from the location determination description, where an entity requests the location data (from the tenth description), specifies that these entities are law enforcement organizations.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The media of claim 11 , wherein the geographic locations are provided to the one or more entities that requested the communication of the request for authorization.

Plain English Translation

The computer readable medium from the location determination description, where an entity requests location data (from the tenth description), specifies that the geographic locations are provided to the entity that requested the authorization.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. A computer system for providing geographic locations of a wireless device associated with a user, the computer system comprising: at least one processor configured to perform the following: via a base station, communicate a request for authorization to provide geographic locations of the wireless device in response to the occurrence of an event, wherein the request is an alert that includes a geographic boundary of the event and a time period for the requested geographic locations of the wireless device; from one or more wireless devices, receive a response to the request for authorization; and provide geographic locations when an affirmative response is received to the request for authorization, wherein for each of the one or more wireless devices that provided an affirmative response to the request for authorization, providing the geographic locations as positions overlaid on a street map, and wherein for each of the one or more wireless devices that did not provide an affirmative response, soliciting an authorization from a user of the one or more wireless devices to disclose the geographic locations.

Plain English Translation

A computer system determines user locations via wireless devices. A processor instructs a base station to send location authorization requests when an event occurs in a specific area. The alert includes the event's geographic boundary and a time period. It receives responses from wireless devices. If a device responds positively, its location is provided as a position on a street map. If a device doesn't respond, the system prompts the user for location access authorization.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the request is communicated to one or more wireless devices and presented to a user associated with each of the one or more wireless devices.

Plain English Translation

The computer system from the previous location determination description communicates the location authorization request to multiple wireless devices and presents it to each associated user.

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the event is the commission of a crime.

Plain English Translation

In the computer system from the location determination description, the event triggering the location request is the commission of a crime.

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the request for authorization is communicated at the request of one or more entities, and wherein information describing the event is included in the request for authorization.

Plain English Translation

In the computer system from the location determination description, the location authorization request is communicated at the request of one or more entities, with information describing the event included in the request.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the one or more entities are law enforcement organizations.

Plain English Translation

In the computer system for location determination where an entity requests location data (from the sixteenth description), these entities are law enforcement organizations.

Claim 18

Original Legal Text

18. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the geographic locations are provided to the one or more entities that requested the communication of the request for authorization.

Plain English Translation

In the computer system for location determination where an entity requests location data (from the sixteenth description), the geographic locations are provided to the entity that requested the authorization communication.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

Unknown

Publication Date

September 5, 2017

Inventors

Michael P. McMullen
Rodney D. Nelson
John R. Schuler

Want to explore more patents?

Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.

Citation & reuse

Analysis on this page is generated by Patentable — an AI-powered patent intelligence platform. AI-generated summaries, explanations, FAQs, and analysis may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL below. Patent abstracts and claims are USPTO public domain.

Cite as: Patentable. “PROVIDING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS OF A USER'S WIRELESS DEVICE” (9756466). https://patentable.app/patents/9756466

© 2026 Nomic Interactive Technology LLC. Machine-readable context available at /api/llm-context/9756466. See llms.txt for full attribution policy.